Brothers In Blood
by RaeKai
Summary: Taylor Cullen is the sheep among lions in the Cullen family. A mere human, adopted at birth and raised by vampires. All he wants is a normal life, but by the looks of things, THAT isn't going to happen anytime soon. Through a series of events that he cannot control, he finds himself becoming the very thing his family should fear... And that scares him.


Hello and welcome, this is my second attempt at an OC's retelling of Twilight. I have been writing fanfiction since I was 15, but I haven't written any since 2011. So, essentially, I am a newbie again. Please, review if you like it (or didn't). I will warn you now, this does contain elements that weren't originally in Meyer's original works so if you're not a fan of that, feel free to stop reading now. Updates will be released every Wednesday at 2200, AEST. 

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**Chapter One: Accidents Happen**

In Forks, Washington, it was another typical rainy Tuesday afternoon, but, like always, no one cared. A single bird had flown down from the grey sky to land on the windowsill of the Fork High School Cafeteria, and pecked at a worm in the ground.

I watched it from inside the cafeteria, bored out of my mind, while picking at the yucky slop on my tray. My siblings weren't being very social today, no surprises there. Alice and Jasper were conversing softly, but I couldn't hear a word they were saying. Rosalie and Emmett were… Ugh, don't even ask, I don't know. Plotting world domination?

Edward was missing, he was probably still in Alaska. I knew the circumstances of why he had run off but I knew it had something to do with the new girl, Bella. I personally didn't think she was all that great, but I would never tell him that.

I am nothing special to look at, I know that. Grey eyes, a buzz cut instead of hair, mole on the left side of nose and had nothing but simple straight features… I'm plain, boring when it comes to looks. My body is nothing special either, like, I keep myself in good shape and all but it's nothing compared to my brother's muscles. I had never had a girlfriend; no one here would want to date that Cullen kid.

A sudden feeling of happiness washed over me and I stopped musing over my unattractiveness and looked up to see a small smirk of Jasper's face. I grimaced at him before I mouthed one word. _Jackass_! I couldn't help but shoot a right grin back at him though.

Jasper is my favourite brother, despite the fact he sometimes wants to eat me. He's not always in my face, trying to get me to do 'normal' stuff and perfectly happy to let me sit and enjoy his company. He always said my blood didn't call to him as strongly as the others for an odd reason. Carlisle said it was good luck. I called it a coincidence.

Carlisle… My father. Not biological, no, but he was just as good. He made every precaution to keep me safe from harm, whether it be childhood bullies or vampires. He did everything a father was meant to do, play football with me, come watch my childhood soccer games, gave me 'the talk'… I cracked a smile at that thought. Who in their right mind would think that a human would be so used to living with vampires.

I sighed and glanced to the left at the apple sitting on Rosalie's tray. A mere prop, just there to complete the human charade. I took it in my hand and tossed it up, watching it spin in the air before catching again in the same hand. Emmett watched it with curious eyes, perhaps wondering why I found this entertaining.

After the third throw-and-catch, his hand shot out and caught it ahead of mine. He laughed when he saw my annoyed expression. "Calm down bro, have your food," he laughed quietly, before tossing back to me, almost like he amused at the idea of eating food.

I took a bite and chewed it silently. Emmett was an ass and he knew it. A child in a man's body, I often said. "Real mature," I finally said sarcastically after I swallowed.

Emmett would usually say something witty back but something kept him silent. He was thinking about Edward, I was sure of it. They all were. His brow was furrowed and he glanced at Rosalie, who just raised an eyebrow at him.

The bell rang then and I stood quickly, slinging my bag over my shoulder. "See you soon," I called back to them as I hurried off to class. Alice was in my Junior Science class but she would keep to Jasper's side to make sure he was okay. He was paired with Rosalie most of the time, thanks to Carlisle milking the foster child stereotype. Anxiety separation… I had snorted over my dinner when I heard that one.

I felt an ice-cold hand touch mine and I knew Alice was by my side. She was a pixie compared to me; her head barely reach my shoulders, which gave me a reason to lean on her most of the time. We were close, she was my confident when it came to most things regarding my human life, but then again, she knew what I was going to tell her every time I asked her for a talk.

"Are you okay?" she asked. She had noticed my grumpy mood it seems. I just shrugged, not thinking about anything but the coming lesson and what I planned to do when I got back home. Either run on the treadmill or go for a bike ride, I decided.

Alice's head tipped curiously towards but she didn't say anything more as we entered the class room.

Class was dismal to say the least. Science was not my strong suit but I never bothered to study. I just wasn't interested. Edward offered to tutor me but I turned him down merely for the fact I couldn't have him telling me I was wrong. Stupid Edward and his mind-reading cheating strategy.

You think we would get along better because we were both the single men of the house, but that wasn't the case. He treated me like a kid, despite the fact we were both physically the same age. He was an ass, and not the one you could put up with. I loved him as a brother, but he annoyed the hell out of me!

I almost ran out of class and walked swiftly through the hallways, nudging students out of the way as Alice followed, almost dancing through the gaps like a petty ballerina. I heard Jasper's voice before I saw him, as he greeted Alice with a corny line and a kiss. Gross. I made a face at the scene.

Rosalie and Emmett were already at Rose's red BMW, waiting for us as protected the shiny red vehicle from overexcited freshmen. I ignored them both, and opened the back seat door and pulled my motorbike helmet and jacket out to put over my simple blue shirt I wore now.

The family wasn't keen on my mode of transport but I loved my Honda CBR 600RR. It was my baby and a hell of a bike. Rosalie taught me how to service it myself so I didn't have to bug her all the time and made it run smoother then a baby's behind. I secretly called her (my bike) Blackie because of obvious reasons. But I never referred to her as that around my family. I would be teased until the day I die.

I pulled out of the car park before they did. I liked riding alone, being alone. Instead of silence that drove me insane, it was peace. Just me and my thoughts, just me and my baby, just me... Perfect tranquillity.

I took the long route home, so I could get to a long stretch of mountain road that had nothing but trees on either side. As I glanced over my shoulder, I spied the BMW heading towards me at an astonishing speed. I smirked and moved into the centre of the road, blocking Rosalie's path.

I could feel the car behind me and I knew she was pissed. I moved to the side and let her pull alongside me. Even through the dark visor of the helmet, I could see her mouthing a challenge. _Race ya?_

I laughed loudly at the idea, but I still revved Blackie and hit the accelerator and tore up the road, moving so fast I could barely see the trees. It was a windy day and they swayed like a crowd during a slow moving song at a rock concert. We played with each other, teasing and feinting at one another, vehicle against bike. But then I felt something change, a shift in the winds it would seem.

On the final miles of the road, Rosalie and I were neck and neck in racing towards the end of the road but she saw the tree before I did. I was aware of the screeching of brakes but I didn't seem to register it, register what it meant. But then I was aware of the might oak crashing towards me. I hit my brakes and screamed to a stop, before I went into a vicious spin and crashed, hitting the tree front on. Time was slowed down as I was thrown over the handlebars, but I wasn't panicking. I tucked in instinctively as I flew through the air over the tree and landed roughly on the asphalt, a few meters away.

I laid there, panting, trying to think. I could hear the sound of cars opening and my name being screamed. But I still didn't move. I don't know why.

Someone grabbed me and lifted me onto my feet, supporting my weight effortlessly. My helmet was pulled off roughly and suddenly Rosalie was in my field of view. "Taylor, I'm sorry! I didn't know that was going to happen," she said breathlessly, genuinely worried for my safety. Now THAT never happened.

Was I okay? I felt my arms and my chest. I ached, but I didn't seem to have any broken bones or be bleeding in any shape or form. "I'm… I'm okay," I managed to stammer, still panting. "Just roughed up." I winced when Emmett touched my shoulder, trying to reassure me.

Jasper let out a loud breath; he must have been holding his breath in case I was spurting out blood. "You are so damn lucky," he muttered. "I'll run the bike back, you are not riding home."

I grumbled, but complied. I slid into the back of the car, watching as Jasper blurred away, my bike in his arms. Alice put an arm around me and I slid against her, feeling completely at ease with her. My eyes closed and I drifted in between sleep and consciousness.

I must have hit the brakes at close to 45 mph… How the hell did I survive? Was I turned into a vampire in my sleep? How did I end up with not a single broken bone?

I kept going over these thoughts for quite some time, before the jolt of the car stopping awoke me from my daydreaming. I raised my head, feeling like a sleepy bear after hibernation, but followed my siblings out of the car and looked around the garage, searching for my baby, my Blackie.

When I saw her I couldn't stop the mournful cry echoing from my gut. She was scratched up beyond belief and the front fender was crushed so bad that it looked like a single bit of metal. Brake fluid had been leaking and she was missing the muffler and one side of the rear guard. My poor bike!

Alice patted my shoulder reassuringly. "Come on, Taylor," she said softly. "Carlisle needs to check you over."

Moments later I was half-naked in our kitchen, well, more like my kitchen to be fair, clad in nothing but a pair of shorts as Carlisle examined me. Esme was standing very still nearby, watching curiously as Carlisle checked nearly every inch of my body. The others were about, doing whatever they liked to do.

"I'm amazed you don't have a scrape on you," Carlisle finally said, stepping back to lean against the white counter top. "You are either very lucky or very solid."

I chuckled. "Can we say the latter?" I joked as I flexed my bicep, emphasising the small muscle tone I had there.

Carlisle laughed and handed me my shirt, a white tank top. "If that please you, son," he teased which prompted both Esme and I to laugh loudly. She moved to my shoulder and touched it gently, a sign of love before moving around the kitchen at vampire speed,as she started to prepare me dinner. I would protest, but that would lead me nowhere.

How did a vampire manage to cook better then a human did? Who knows the hell knows. I left her to it and wandered past Emmett and Jasper playing chess to the glass doors gazing outside over the yard, before sliding up the door to get to the porch.

Out here sat a punching bag on a stand, a treadmill and an iPod dock I used when working out. I loved to listen to music when I was working out, it seemed to motivate me just that tad bit more. I slipped my iPod out of my pocket and set it up in the doc, before selecting my workout playlist. I could feel Emmett and Jasper's stares boring into my back as I pulled on the gloves. Like always, ignoring them was the key.

The first song was slow, a Panic! At The Disco song that was from their new album. It was slow, but still held a tempo I could work out to. My muscles still ached like all hell, but it was

Emmett use to hold the bag for me while I was out here but as I learnt how to throw a punch and got older, I was able to do it by myself. And I had also begun to gain a temper and my longue would give him a lashing if he ever tried to tease me. If there was thing I couldn't stand, it was the family trying to outshine me.

I couldn't blame them though. When you were blessed with exceptional strength, speed and stamina, how could you not be perfect at every skill? Not to mention the decades they have had to perfect it all. Life was unfair.

Carlisle asked me once about my mortality. I was fourteen and had no idea what to say. Live forever, be stuck in the same body until the end of time? I said no before I had time to think about it and I saw the look on my father's face. He wouldn't force me, no, he wasn't that kind of man, but he was disappointed.

He wasn't the only one. Every single member of my family wished they had the choice I had, but they weren't willing for me to keep being on human and ageing while they stayed ever youthful. It was an agonising decision. Stay youthful and have the full support of a family, or throw that all away to grow old and have a career, perhaps kids someday? Rosalie would love that.

I didn't notice the tempo of the music increase as songs flicked through and eventually come to the faster end of the playlist. And by faster, I meant death metal. Involuntarily, my punches became faster and harder and my thoughts turned sour.

Why should I let my family pick my fate though? I had enough to worry about without my mortality thrown in the mix. School, assignments, career choices, collage, family… It was all a typical teenager's drama, but with a pack of vampires thrown in to stir the pot and shit in it.

I gritted my teeth. No, this was _my _time and I would spend it how I wanted! The music flowed through me, like a new form of energy. I sang along with the lyrics, despite the fact they were being screamed and growled, and darted around the bag, hitting it harder and harder. I was aware of sweat beading from my forehead and dripping down into my eyes.

_Seconds from the end,  
What's it gonna be?  
Pull the trigger bitch!_

Finally, my bubbling rage took over and I launched a fierce strike at the bag with all my strength expecting my hand to be hurt from the sheer weight of the bag. What I wasn't expecting, was for me to send the punching bag flying.

Instead, it flew off the stand and crashed into the opposite railing of the porch, before falling into the garden Esme grew around the veranda and rolling to a stop somewhere in the middle of the yard, spilling the sand from the bag. I panted heavily, leaning on my hands and knees while assessing the situation.

Emmett and Jasper was then beside me. "Holy crap, did you do that!?" Emmett laughed, clapping me on the back (softly). "Lay off the steroids, bro!"

"I… I dunno what happened," I rasped, glancing at them both before frowning. "And I am not on steroids!"

Emmett chuckled as Jasper wandered over to the stand and inspected it, before he held the chain in his pale hands, inspecting it. "This has snapped clean in two," he deduced, holding it up for me to see the two shiny pieces, glinting in the afternoon light.

I honestly had no idea what was happening, First the crash, now I can bust a punching bag clean off. Seriously, who the hell bit me in my sleep?

I walked slowly inside, still panting from my workout and grabbed the dinner Esme had set on the kitchen bench for me, mashed potatoes and sausages, before heading to the living area where Rosalie sat, flicking through the channels too fast for me to see. I saw down on one of the arm chairs and began to eat, not focusing on anything but my food. I could hardly think straight. It felt like my world was tumbling down around me.

Carlisle tried to check on me again, but I brushed him off, trying to keep my pride and wits about me. "I'm fine, Carlisle, just let me eat!" I mumbled through a mouthful of potato. He made a funny face but blurred away, leaving me and my sister alone once more. Rose gave me a funny look but resumed flicking through the TV channels.

We had always had an odd relationship. She spoiled me rotten as a baby but now we had more of a silent but sturdy friendship. We were both stubborn, pigheaded and as much as I hate to admit it, vain beyond anything. When you live in a house full of vampires, you start caring about your looks when you're standing next to perfection.

Rosalie finally stopped on something, a nature documentary, probably for my sake. I ate silently, the only sounds the television and the clinking of cutlery. But then I heard snickering from the stairwell.

"And here we have the typical human hunting," Jasper whispered in a ridiculously exaggerated documentary voice. "He seems to have found the potatoes very delectable."

Rosalie made a snorting noise while I heard Emmett's booming laugh from outside the house, so loud that the walls seemed to rumble from the noise. My blood boiled and I felt something rise in me, a surge of sudden rage. Rage like I have never felt before. Rage like I wanted to hurt, to maim, to kill. A monster rose inside me, roaring a command, and I obeyed his call.

With speed I thought I could only imagine, I snatched the knife I was eating with and flung it at Jasper. It flew through the air like an arrow being released from a bow and it struck the wall by his head, sinking deep into the wood. He hadn't moved an inch, but he was still shocked at my sudden fit of fury. Rosalie raised her eyebrow at me but I just ignored her. Even Emmett was quiet now as he returned inside to see what was going on.

I rose from the chair, the anger still boiling inside me. I have never really had a bad temper, but I feared that I was now developing one, one I didn't want or need. I dumped my plate in the sink and stalked up the staircase, walking past my brother who was watching me with alarmed eyes. He wasn't even bothering to play with my emotions.

My room was the one below Edward's and tucked in beside Alice and Jasper's closet. It was a medium sized room that was a long L-shape, painted white with large windows overlooking the porch and river, with black furnishings all around. My bed is exactly how I left it, dishevelled and the black quilt hanging off the metal frame (I kick in my sleep). Esme must have tidied up in here though, the plates I had on the desk to the right of the bed are gone and my books are in a neat pile beside the computer.

I tend to spend most of my time at home here, because this room feels more human than the rest of the house. I can watch what I like, do what I want and generally feel normal… Until I step outside the door.

But who was I kidding; I wasn't normal, at least not anymore. Anger was still bubbling in my system as I sat on the couch at the foot of my bed. What the hell was wrong with me? I have never felt like hurting my family though, even when I was pushed to my limits. I put my head in my hands and rubbed my temples, trying to think.

I needed to get to the bottom of this, sooner rather than later.

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Twilight does not belong to me, it belongs to Stephanie Meyer, all rights reserved.  
Betating done by x City of Lost Angels x


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